Who Will be Longlisted for the 2012 Booker Prize?

2012 has been an amazing year for fiction. Last year I struggled to find 13 books good enough to justify a place on a Booker longlist, but this year I’m overwhelmed by the quality. I’ve read at least 20 books that deserve longlisting and have heard about many others from fellow book lovers. Whittling down the list to just 13 is an almost impossible task and I don’t even have anyone to argue with!

Historical Fiction

It is a good year for historical fiction and as the 2012 Man Booker judges seem to have a strong connection to the genre I suspect that there will be a few on the list.

I think that The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber is most deserving of a place. Written in verse, it is so different from anything else published recently and shows a real literary talent.

Rose Tremain was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1989 for Restoration. The sequel,Merivel, is published in September. I’m lucky enough to have a proof copy and although I haven’t finished reading it yet I can see it shares its engaging, atmospheric style. So far it is just as good as Restoration and therefore deserves longlisting.

The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon has a unique voice and should stand out from the crowd. I’d love to see it longlisted, and am keeping my fingers crossed that it is long enough to qualify.

My personal favourite is The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman. It raises important questions about historical fiction and how easily important events are forgotten. I’d love to see its profile raised and so am rooting for it in all literary prizes this year.

Character Studies

I often struggle with the slower pace of character studies and therefore have to rely on the opinion of others to sort the wheat from the chaff.

The Forrests by Emily Perkins seems to be standing head and shoulders above everything else this year. A wide range of knowledgeable people seem to think that this even has a chance of winning. Who am I to disagree?

In being shortlisted for the Orange Prize Painter of Silencehas already shown its prize winning potential. This quiet story is widely loved and I’d be surprised if it didn’t make it onto the Booker longlist.

Previous Booker Winners/Nominees

I wasn’t a fan of Wolf Hall, but those who were are claiming that the sequel, Bring up the Bodies, is even better. I guess that means it should walk onto the longlist without question.

I was a big fan of The Wilderness, but Samantha Harvey has stepped up her game with All is Song. The writing quality is even better and the emotions come alive on the page. Unfortunately it crossed over the line and became a bit too literary for my taste, but that is what the Booker is all about! If you are willing to put the effort into peeling back the literary layers then you will be rewarded with a fabulous book.

How It All Beganis littered with quotable sentences. It is a bit too quiet and domestic for my taste, but I can see the quality shining through. The many references to literature will mean it has an added appeal that I’m sure those Booker judges will admire.

Timothy Mo was shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times in the 1980s, butPure is his first book for 10 years. The complexity of the prose put me off, but his fans are raving about this one and so I think it may well be fourth time lucky for him.

Everything Else

The Light of Amsterdam has received rave reviews from almost everyone who has read it. It has been described as “introspective” and so I’ve been avoiding it so far, but if it makes the longlist I’ll give it a try. I’m prepared to be surprised!

I have a passion for books set in India and so was drawn towards Narcopolis. The subject matter is a bit bleak, but the writing is amazing. It has the benefit of being different from everything else on my longlist.

A Division of the Light isn’t my usual sort of book, but a rare endorsement from Kazuo Ishiguro persuaded me to give it a try. I was instantly impressed by the vivid descriptions and the emotional tension that runs through it. It is very deserving of a longlist position.

The Ones I Didn’t Select

Narrowing down my selection to just 13 titles was very hard, especially since many of the contenders aren’t even published yet. I’ve had to rely on feedback from those in the industry who’ve read copies and my own instincts, but as every judging panel is individual it is almost impossible to predict which ones they’ll choose.

Here are some of the other books that I wouldn’t be surprised to see on the Booker longlist:

So many new books to add to my TBR list, I’m getting quite excited now at the prospect of the Man Booker Longlist announcement!
I only read Narcopolis so far, it’s like you said, bleak but very well written.

Hmmm. Lots of food for thought there! I agree with your ‘wouldn’t surprise me if’ mentions but I don’t know too many of the others you picked out so I’ve just added more to my wishlist. The Marlowe Papers sounds very intriguing indeed.

Alex, I’m pleased I was able to introduce you to some new titles! I hope that the Booker judges choose a few of the lesser known authors and can introduce me to some new authors too. Enjoy your Booker reading!

I’m always way off with my longlist predictions, and with quite a few likely contenders still to be released (Zadie Smith, Ian McEwan, Rose Tremain, James Meek, Lawrence Norfolk, James Kelman, Pat Barker) it is even harder to guess. But at the moment these are the eligible novels I’ve loved most this year, and I’m hoping at least a couple of them make the longlist:

‘The Street Sweeper’ is narrowly at the top of my list with ‘The Deadman’s Pedal’ a very close second. I’d never read Alan Warner before (didn’t fancy his drink- and sex-fuelled earlier books) but I absolutely loved this. I have a fondness for ‘coming-of-age’ novels anyway, but this one is so rich and layered and beautifully written, and – even better – it’s supposedly the first of a trilogy.

David, I haven’t read The Deadman’s Pedal as I didn’t enjoy either of his previous books and am not normally a fan of coming-of-age stories. I have a copy here so I’ll give it a try, but I will be surprised if I enjoy it. I’m happy for it to be longlisted though – I know he has a very high standard of writing.

Admittedly I’ve been a bit distracted by foreign lit this year and haven’t read many – if any – eligible titles so far. But I have a few in the TBR which wouldn’t surprise me with an appearance on the list headed by:

Lizzy,
How do you keep yourself so up-to-date?
I don’t read many old books! I also spend time talking to publishers about which books they hope will make the prize shortlists – this gives an extra insight into what might have actually been submitted and allows me to push those up the TBR pile so I can compare them with each other and make up my own mind.

Your 3 suggestions are quite likely – in fact I’d quite like the added diversity they’d bring to the list. I look forward to seeing what the judges select next week.

Great to read your predictions Jackie. I am another one who would absolutely love to see The Street Sweeper there. A fabulous book. I have got Merivel to be read too. I also really liked The Colour of Milk and wonder if that will be there. I quite liked Painter of Silence but it wasn’t a favourite.

Interesting list, Jackie. I’ve been reading more translated fiction and back catalogue stuff this year so am not really up to date with the books likely to make this year’s list. I do, however, think John Banville’s Ancient Light, which is on the top of my TBR, will be on it. Ditto for Peter Carey and Elliot Perlman. And I’d love to see Nell Leyshon’s book on it! But, as I wrote on Stu’s blog, I think there’ll be a few surprise names on the list, including debut authors, which we’ve never heard of — that’s usually the way. And which is why this guessing game is always interesting.

kimbofo, I’m not sure the Carey is good enough to make the longlist this year. It is up against such strong competition and I didn’t think it was in the same leaugue as some of his others. I thought it had several unnecessary sections and lacked any real impact. It will be interesting to see if the judges agree with me. Either way I do hope they highlight some fantastic debut authors that are new to us.

Great list! I love the debate about who will make the Booker long list, but I am usually far behind. I’m just hoping when they announce the long list that there will be some books on it that have already been released here in the States. Usually there are some who are not even released here in the U.S. until after the SHORT list has been announced! (and I get way too impatient)

Kim, I almost added Deadman’s Dance to this list, but then I was unsure about its publication date. I was sure it was published in April, but Amazon says it hasn’t been released yet. I’m a bit confused about that one, but agree it could well end up on the list if eligible.

The Devil I Know is also a good suggestion. I have a copy here and it has some great quotes on the cover. I may give it a try later.

I am eagerly awaiting the list on Wednesday and enjoyed seeing your predictions. So many of the titles I’m excited about aren’t out in the U.S., so I think it will be a hard year to read all of the longlist. I was hoping How It All Began would make the Orange longlist so I could have a sense of urgency to read it, and I still haven’t made time for it.

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